The Stains That Never Came Out
by Gila Draper
Summary: A short fic about Snape during one of Voldemort's summons. Also features Albus Dumbledore and is not a happy fic.
1. Chapter 1: Stained Souls

Author's Note and Disclaimer: I don't own Snape though I wish I did and I could keep him in my closet, my parents wouldn't mind, honest! This is just a little something I was inspired with. It is a stand-alone fic. It's actually sort of weird.  
  
1 The Stains That Never Come Out  
  
By Gila Draper  
  
Chapter 1: Stained Souls  
  
Damn it. Damn it to hell.  
  
Severus Snape scrubbed fiercely at his left forearm with the wet, Slytherin green washrag. It wouldn't go away, not that he expected it to.  
  
He raised the cloth away from his arm but the snake and scull were still emblazoned across his pale skin, black as night since the Dark Lord was calling him. Black as his heart as some of his students might say.  
  
Yes his heart was black, he thought bitterly as he resumed his frenzied scrubbing. Without love, self-respect, or any of that other ridiculous crap his heart had been caked with hate a long time ago.  
  
At least the hate kept every one away, so that they couldn't hurt him. That was his only condolence to the loneliness.  
  
"Friendship is overrated rubbish anyhow," he growled aloud to no one at all. Maybe if he said it loudly enough he could convince himself.  
  
A fresh wave of pain swept through him and he gasped raggedly, the Dark Mark pulsing like an angry welt. Yet another reason why he shouldn't have friends, who would want to be friends with an ex-Death Eater?  
  
The summon subsided to a throbbing and constant reminder of his sins as he leaned against the white marble of his bathroom wall and slid to the floor.  
  
With a low moan he bowed his head and began a very colorful mantra of curses. Suddenly a swish of robes caught his attention and he paused mid swear word.  
  
"Headmaster?"  
  
The blue eyes caught his dark ones and held them, "what are you doing Severus?"  
  
Snape's eyes strayed to the washcloth. which lay in a pathetic heap on the ground and felt slightly embarrassed.  
  
He clutched his arm tighter to his body and replied coolly, "nothing Headmaster."  
  
His aloof manner however was ruined when he gave a sudden yelp of pain as he was summoned yet again.  
  
The older wizard knelt next to him, "that seems like an awfully excruciating 'nothing', Severus."  
  
Snape simply shrugged thin shoulders and on impulse, grabbed the washcloth the instant he felt the pain ebb away.  
  
Dumbledore looked momentarily confused by this strange course of action then it clicked as he watched the Potion's Master rub at his left forearm with a ferocious intensity.  
  
"Are you trying to wash it off?" Dumbledore asked quietly, while he knew exactly what the younger man was doing he wanted Snape to come out of his shell.  
  
"It's not like it's going to come off," Snape muttered darkly but kept up his insistent washing of that arm.  
  
"It's ruined for good, like my bloody soul," Snape gave a chilling laugh that was so broken it cut Dumbledore to the core of his being.  
  
"Your soul isn't ruined Severus," the old wizard informed him gently.  
  
Snape started in surprise as though not aware that he'd been speaking aloud and then muttered, "whatever."  
  
The patch of skin he was so diligently cleaning was starting to turn a light pink so the Headmaster gave the slim arm a slight jostling to stop the washrag's progress. He had to do it as gently as possible of course, Snape was a feral as a wild animal whenever he got a summons.  
  
The proof was in his horrible disposition when he had taken up, "rosebush duty" at the Yule Ball the previous year when he had been called by You- Know-Who.  
  
Snape snarled, eyes flashing and hissed, "I'm trying to get it out." His eyes had a frantic gleam to them of an animal ready to bolt.  
  
Dumbledore rose sadly, it was going to be one of those nights.  
  
Those nights when he kept up a silent vigil outside the dungeons and listened to Snape yell and sob and growl.  
  
Those nights when he would hear the crashes of things being thrown across the room during of the man's fits of rage against Voldemort, himself, and the rest of humanity.  
  
Those nights when he heard the younger man go to sleep muttering about those stains that never came out. 


	2. Chapter 2: He'll Never Ask For Help

Disclaimer and Author's Note: Don't own them, I only own the secretary and Flavic Cowan. This chapter is a little strange but I'm trying my best with this story as well as A Little Thing Called Ambition, so don't flame! (By the way, Ambition readers, I'll get the next chapter out soon, I promise.) I hope you enjoy chapter two.  
  
The Stains That Never Come Out  
  
Chapter 2: He'll Never Ask For Help  
  
CRASH!  
  
That, the Headmaster estimated, was probably a chair.  
  
He heard a light cry of pain following that resounding noise and started from his humble wooden chair outsidethe door to Snape's office. He was torn, Severus would probably pitch a fit if he knew that Albus was out here but if he didn't go see what was the matter Snape could be seriously hurt.  
  
He decided to risk the younger man's infamous wrath and walked into the room in a flurry of velvet robes of royal blue.  
  
The scene he was greeted with was complete and total chaos.  
  
There were shards of splintered wood in a corner and the floor was littered with broken glass and Snape himself wasn't much better off.  
  
He had evidently broken his wrist and an ankle and gotten some splinters in various parts of his body. But his physical pain was nothing in comparison to the emotional turmoil he was dealing with.  
  
Severus was standing off in the corner breathing heavily but his eyes blazed with a rage that would have incinerated Neville Longbottom.  
  
"Severus," the older man began tentativly, unsure if Snape was liable to hex him, "would you like for me to send for Poppy?"  
  
Despite his hurricane-like fury, Snape managed to retain some of his aristocratic haughtiness and straightened, saying coldly, "no thank you Headmaster."  
  
Where beating around the proverbial bush didn't work, bluntness succeeded and Dumbledore said flatly, "Severus, don't be stupid. It's your buisness if you want to throw furniture around your dungeons but I have an obligation to the well being of the staff and, like it or not you are on my staff. Now you can go willingly up to Poppy or I can Levitate you there myself if need be."  
  
Snape blinked, momentarily stunned. It was obvious that no one had spoken that way to him in a long time.  
  
When the Potions Master had recovered his wits, managing to look slightly offended in the process, he replied gruffly, "I'd prefer if you'd call a Healer."  
  
Healers, a type of mediwizard, often doctored people in their private homes and were obligated to hold a code of silence to their patients if the person requested it. It was no wonder that Snape wanted a Healer under the circumstances.  
  
Albus nodded briskly to Snape and then eyed the room in a way that finally the stubborn younger man growled, "fine, let's go to my rooms then if you so object to my office."  
  
As Snape limped ahead of him, trying to regain his usual prowling gait Dumbledore noticed that Snape was still looking offended at the manner in which he had been spoken to. Strange…Dumbledore would have thought that so proud a man would want it to seem like he wasn't getting preferential treatment.  
  
He watched as Snape slowly and painfully made his way up the stairs and out of the dungeons. While it hurt being a bystander to such pain he knew Severus well enough to know that Snape would be damned before he had anyone coddle HIM.  
  
They weren't going to make any progress this way so Dumbledore trotted ahead of Snape to the man's quarters which were placed at the entrance to the dungeons rather than in their dank depths.  
  
"Severus, what's your password?" He called down.  
  
"Senette," he yelled back.  
  
Dumbledore had to smile at that. Senette was the name of Snape's identical twin brother. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen the wily Snape twins together since their school days.  
  
But then again, he remembered how getting the entire Snape family together in one room could be a nearly impossible task. It wasn't that they didn't love each other, for they did in their own weird and insulting way. But it was that they preferred, "long distance love" as Senette had laughingly put it.  
  
"Senette," the old wizard declared to the gray stone wall in front of him, watching as the stones rearranged themselves to create a small archway.  
  
Dumbledore hurried to the fireplace and rummaged through the objects on the mantelpiece finally finding a small black box and threw a handful of it's powdering contents onto the dying embers of the fire.  
  
They glowed an eerie green and he called for Cowan Healer's Guild. A secretary's head appeared among the green flames, her graying hair pulled into a fluffy sort of bun.  
  
"Cowan Healer's Guild, how may I help you?" she drawled her mantra lazily, chewing on what looked suspiciously like a Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Bean.  
  
"I'd like to speak to Flavic Cowan please," Dumbledore requested with his usual dash of good manners.  
  
"Sure," the secretary agreed amiably and disappeared with a pop, to reveal a moment later a young man in his early twenties with unruly auburn curls and friendly gold-green eyes.  
  
"Hello Albus, what seems to be the trouble," the easy going Flavic inquired with a smile.  
  
Dumbledore returned the smile and said, "I believe I have a situation on my hands here Dr.Cowan, a friend of mine is having a spot of trouble."  
  
That was an understatement, Dumbledore thought to himself. A spot of trouble described Severus condition the way a little tremble described a mind-shattering earthquake.  
  
While Dumbledore described Snape's condition, both mental and physical, the man in question was having issues with the stairs.  
  
Why, he thought, did stairs have to be so…stair-like?  
  
He grunted and felt the pinch of his splinters as he dragged himself up each one with agonizing slowness. Banisters were a very good invention but were made difficult to use with a broken wrist.  
  
Up above him he heard Dumbledore talking to someone he assumed who was the Healer.  
  
He felt slightly humiliated by this, after all these years the man was still taking care of him.  
  
FINALLY! He'd gotten to the top of the ruddy stairs! Pulling himself along the wall he got to the archway leading to his private quarters where the Healer's head was getting his debriefing.  
  
"Really Albus, the man can't be THAT bad," the Healer protested.  
  
Snape smirked at that, if the man believed that then he had obviously never spoken to Neville Longbottom. 


	3. Chapter 3: Things My Mother Gave Me

Disclaimer and Author's Note: This is a really weird chapter but I wanted to add in another wrinkle from Severus' past. I only own Flavic which is a real shame as he isn't as cool as Snape. I hope you enjoy this chapter and if it is just too random for your blood, please don't flame me.  
  
Chapter 3: Things My Mother Gave Me  
  
  
  
When Flavic disappeared with a pop, promising to Apparate over to the edge of the grounds, (since you couldn't Apparate on school grounds as Hermione often lectured.) Snape made his appearance and limped into his living quarters.  
  
The lair of the most terrifying teacher was on the smallish side and nearly everything was done in black. When you walked in you were greeted with a small round room with a roaring fireplace opposite the door. The left side of the dark stone room was covered with masses of bookshelves and a large old worktable with large wooden shelves above it. While the desk and it's accompanying shelves were old and scratched up it was more probable that Snape would kiss Trelawny than ask Minvera McGonagall to Transfigure him new furniture and that was really saying something. On the right side of the room was a small black couch and in the corner by the fireplace was a large armchair, which was, oddly enough, red.  
  
And it was in this out of place red armchair that Dumbledore was now reclining after his conversation with the Healer. He tugged at his long silver beard thoughtfully as Snape made his entrance.  
  
" 'Can't be that bad'?" Snape repeated tonelessly, "those are words I don't believe I've ever heard used to describe me."  
  
Dumbledore gestured to the couch, unsure of how to reply to such a self- mocking remark. Snape limped over and sat, folding his arms across his chest in his typical vampiric style.  
  
"Do you want anything Severus?" The older wizard inquired anxiously.  
  
"No," came the short sullen response.  
  
"Would you like a coverlet?" Dumbledore asked, thinking that Snape looked a little cold.  
  
"Albus," a warning tone was etched in Snape's deep voice.  
  
"I suppose not," Dumbledore surrendered.  
  
"Stop mothering me Headmaster," Snape growled wrapping his arms tighter around himself.  
  
Dumbledore had to smile at that, despite the rude tone used to deliver the message. "Really Severus, didn't your mother pester you like that when you were a boy?"  
  
Snape stared at him as though he had admitted to insanity and then shook his head with something like amusement.  
  
Drusilla Snape was one of the most finicky people Severus knew and had bothered him about cleanliness his entire life.  
  
"Headmaster, do you remember anything about my mother?"  
  
"Well, yes actually, I remember she always bothering you about the condition of your teeth, or hair, or robes…"  
  
Snape smiled bitterly, "That's because she-"  
  
At that moment Snape was abruptly cut off by the entrance of Flavic Cowan who bounded in with more enthusiasm than Snape thought was humanly possible.  
  
Green robes swishing about him Cowan strode over to give the Headmaster a friendly handshake and then he turned to Snape who regarded him with the kind of "pleasant disposition" he reserved for Harry Potter.  
  
Not at all perturbed by the frosty welcoming sneer Snape had given him he reached out and shook Snape's hand with the same degree of liveliness he had done Dumbledore's.  
  
"Dr. Flavic Cowan, you'd be Severus Snape right?" Without waiting for confirmation he suddenly exclaimed, "good God man, your had is like ice!"  
  
Suddenly Dumbledore remembered what Snape had been about to say about his mother and hid his smile, wondering how Severus would handle so awkward a situation.  
  
"That's perfectly normal sir," Snape tried to assure the man, "it's because my mother was-"  
  
Not waiting for the explanation Cowan grabbed the black coverlet off the couch and tried putting it around Snape to warm the man up before he started doing magical scans over the man to search for internal damage.  
  
Struggling out of the coverlet Snape protested, "but you don't understand, my mother-"  
  
"I'm sure she was a lovely lady," Cowan replied absently as he got his wand, some Healing Balm, and a few vials of various potions out of his small black bag.  
  
"That's the thing sir, she WASN'T a lady," Snape managed to get out through gritted teeth.  
  
"Well that's a perfectly dreadful thing to say about one's mum," Cowan said, sounding shocked at the rude reference to the other man's parent.  
  
Snape groaned when Flavic attempted to take his pulse. Flavic took a step back, a horrified look on his face, "there's no pulse." His eyes flitted up to Snape who was scowling and looking, for all the world, very much alive.  
  
"If you had let me get a damn word in you'd know WHY!" Snape yelled, loosing his temper.  
  
Frightened, Cowan looked back a Dumbledore, "what's all this about Albus?"  
  
Chuckling slightly Dumbledore said, "Flavic, Severus IS right, you'd have known if you'd listened to him."  
  
"What are you talking about? The man was just going on about his mother."  
  
"Exactly," Dumbledore explained patiently, "the reason Severus doesn't have a pulse is because Mrs. Drusilla Snape was a vampire." 


	4. Chapter 4: The Interlude of Perky Healer...

Disclaimer and Author's Note: Don't own them except for Flavic. I don't like this chapter very much but I guess it gives some explanations to my take on vampires and will give you some more tidbits about Flavic.  
  
By the way, I have a note for Stormy: Thank you for picking up on the vampire thing. I don't watch Buffy or Angel so, no, this won't be the same Drusilla. I just got her name out of my History book when I was reading about the Romans. And about the thing about vampires not able to have children, I was never aware of that. I've been to several sights to do my, "vampiric research", and I never read anything like that. I think that there's a definite chance that you might be correct but for now, until I learn otherwise, I'm going to go with what I consider to be a vampire. I hope you don't mind.  
  
  
  
Chapter 4: The Interlude of Perky Healers  
  
The cat was out of the Goddamn bag, Snape thought miserably.  
  
It wasn't bad enough that Flavic knew that he was a Death Eater, now he knew about Snape's blood sucking heritage. It really wasn't turning out to be his day.  
  
Still, it wasn't Flavic's or Albus' fault for knowing about his…problems. The whole lack of pulse thing had pretty much given it away. That was the problem with being one of the living dead.  
  
Flavic was looking stunned and decidedly unnerved, "you're a vampire?"  
  
Sighing Snape nodded and then added, "my grandfather was a wizard though, so I suppose I'm only two thirds vampire."  
  
When Flavic made no move to come and remove the splinters which were really starting to irritate him now Snape muttered, "I promise not to bite you, hypnotize you, or attack you so won't you get on with it."  
  
"Won't the wooden splinters kill you?" Flavic asked nervously.  
  
Gently cradling his still throbbing wrist he replied scornfully, "no, all of that rubbish is really myth. The only reason people liked wooden stakes over silver ones was because they were less expensive to manufacture."  
  
Then he gave Flavic a very pointed look which Dumbledore thought was reminiscent of Minerva McGonagall and said, "now if you'll kindly do what we've called you here to do." He held up his broken wrist in illustration.  
  
"Right," Flavic said and stepped forward to pour some magic in to mend the bones.  
  
Cowan was being far too cheerful, Severus thought, for a man who was doctoring a vampire who happened to be an ex-Death Eater. In fact, Flavic was actually whistling as he fixed bones and repaired torn skin and removed the pieces of wood. Punctuating his song with taps of his foot he proceeded to put some balm on the assorted cuts and bruises.  
  
"Now Professor, if you'd be so kind as to stretch out on this couch I'd like to get a physical and emotional reading off of you," Flavic told him with a perky smile.  
  
Giving the man a cold look Snape straightened his back and blatantly refused to let the healer sift through his emotions. There was a reason he kept people away with his unpleasant attitude. It didn't matter how lonely a man it made him since it was better than being overemotional.  
  
It was the way of Slytherins, you had to play the uncaring mercenary if you were going to get anywhere in your life. It didn't pay to let your problems get in the way of your ambition when you were dealing with Slytherins because they would walk all over you.  
  
Flavic was beginning to look mildly annoyed by now and said with biting impatience in his voice, "Professor, I don't have all night so if you please oblige me and LIE DOWN."  
  
Leaning back with a cruel leer Snape raised an eyebrow, "it isn't good to threaten vampires, or Death Eaters for that matter."  
  
"I don't think of it as a threat," Flavic replied with strained pleasantness, "I think of it as a forceful request."  
  
It didn't seem, Severus thought, thinking back to when the healer had begun to work on him, that Cowan was fazed by much of anything.  
  
Severus was not used to the way Cowan dismissed his attempts at rudeness. Normally people took his unpleasant demeanor to heart and occasionally ran in the opposite direction if he was lucky. But Cowan simply responded with odd friendliness that Snape wasn't used to. He just didn't understand the healer one little bit.  
  
When Snape made no indication that he was going to lay down and let the healer scan him Cowan took out his wand said, "Petrificus Totalus", and prodded Snape in the chest for emphasis.  
  
"Sorry about that old boy," Flavic said, sounding genuinely apologetic, "but you know, you weren't really giving me any other alternatives."  
  
This, Albus Dumbledore thought, was something worth seeing when someone got the better of Severus Snape. Flavic was possibly the first person in history to have pinned the Potion's Master down on the couch and, now that the charm had worn off, was attempting to wrestle him into a scanning position.  
  
"Get off me you imbecile!" Snape roared, fighting to throw Flavic off.  
  
"Sir, I must say you're making things much more difficult than they need to be," Flavic panted.  
  
Things began to get a little extreme when Severus attempted rip open Flavic's neck and Dumbledore decided that this might be a good time to break up the brawl. He wrenched Flavic off of Severus and gave Snape a penetrating blue-eyed stare, which very clearly told Snape to stretch out on the couch and be happy about it. So grudgingly Severus carefully lay down on the couch while giving Flavic a withering look.  
  
Silently Flavic moved over to sit on the edge of the couch and place one hand on Snape's chest for the connection needed for scanning, but then the young Healer paused. He gave Severus a stern look and in the silence that had followed the skirmish complained to the vampire, "that wasn't a fair fight, you have fangs." 


	5. Chapter 5: Because He Promised Albus

Disclaimer and Author's Note: Don't own them except for Flavic. You know, I'm not sure where this story's going anymore but, hey, I'll give it a whirl. Just telling you that in case you get confused. By the way, this story takes place in the summer after Goblet of Fire.  
  
Chapter 5: Because He Promised Albus  
  
  
  
"Now," Flavic declared with his ever-irritating amiability, "I'm going to have to put you to sleep professor."  
  
Dumbledore nodded firmly at Snape and Snape rolled his eyes heavenward and shifted himself into a comfortable position.  
  
"I am fully prepared to blame you if I wake up with a crick in my neck," Snape warned Flavic in an ominous tone of voice.  
  
"I'm sure you are sir," Flavic smiled.  
  
Putting more pressure on Snape's chest with his hand he murmured, "Dormio."  
  
The moment the spell was spoken Snape began to yawn and in a matter of minutes was sleeping peacefully.  
  
Flavic gave a triumphant grin and whispered to Dumbledore, "I could enter the trance when he's awake too, but I figured that this would make life much easier."  
  
Dumbledore shook his head with amusement, "now you're thinking like a Slytherin."  
  
"God forbid," Flavic said, trying to stifle a laugh and then turned to the task at hand.  
  
With Severus asleep and unable to debate the limits of his body space Flavic took the opportunity to curl up next to the man to make the mental and magical entry easier.  
  
With the gentle glow of white-green magic Flavic closed his eyes and soon his breathing began to even…  
  
Flavic found himself spinning into darkness and was thrown, rather roughly, into the body of Severus Snape. He probed the wrist and formerly twisted ankle to make sure he had bound all the bones and ligaments and then crept through to the various splintered areas, which he found were healing nicely.  
  
It seemed that the man's physical health was in order, though Flavic found it very creepy that Snape could be considered not alive. Now he had better turn to the mental health and attempted to shift into Snape's subconscious and was stopped very abruptly by what seemed to be a literal, "mental block."  
  
It was like facing a large stainless steel wall that just happened to be guarded by a crocodile infested moat and masses of thorns. This was obviously many years worth of work for keeping people out.  
  
"Professor Snape," he called though his mind, and received no response from behind the mental barrier.  
  
Flavic decided to try a more familiar name, "Severus, you need to let me in. I can't help you if you don't let me in."  
  
The voice that was thrown back at him was deep, booming and angry, "I DON'T NEED HELP!"  
  
"If you didn't need help you wouldn't be in a healing trance," Flavic tried to rationalize, but most unfortunately Snape was not feeling particularly rational at the moment., and yelled back, "It wasn't as if I had much of a choice what with the Headmaster telling me to."  
  
Flavic tried again, "Severus, I'll bet the Headmaster would be disappointed in you if you don't let me in."  
  
He had stuck a chord here and the barriers evaporated instantly. It seemed that Flavic had found a threat worse than death to Snape, worse than being sent to Azkaban, the absolute worst threat: failing Albus.  
  
That was food for thought, Flavic pondered. It showed how deep the vampire's loyalty for the Headmaster was.  
  
Coming though the space left by the mental block Flavic found himself in a swirling mass of emotions and memories.  
  
He was bombarded by the stress of returning to the fold, by nerves frazzled from the Crutiatious curse, and by loads of self-loathing. It nearly made Flavic sick to know that this was how Snape felt daily.  
  
And on top of it all was an insatiable hunger for human blood that would never be filled because he had promised Albus that he wouldn't hurt anyone at the school.  
  
That's what it all came down to actually, why a lot of the dark emotions were there, because he had promised Albus.  
  
Because he had promised Albus that he would spy he was under more stress than was needed. Because he promised Albus that he wouldn't hurt anyone at the school was taking potions and lotions to try to dampen his vamperic appearance and try to dull his hunger and those potions and lotions made him greasy of hair and to make his teeth look unclean. And because of his appearance which caused snide remarks from students and faculty he was depressed and wary of people.  
  
And it was all because he felt fierce loyalty to the old wizard, Flavic thought amazed.  
  
Flavic moved through the some memories, most of them were ugly scenes from Snape's Death Eater days through some startling images of Snape hunting. Those, while frightening to the human eye, were joyful to the Potion's Master.  
  
There was a great deal of undeserved misery here, he needed to talk to the Headmaster about that and see if he could try to lessen it. Perhaps tell the students the truth and get rid of the appearance potion. After all, Dumbledore was bringing that werewolf Lupin back next year, why shouldn't he hire a vampire?  
  
While there was much more Flavic wanted to do for Snape at least that might be a start.  
  
He saw a mix of happy and unhappy scenes arise from the depths about Snape's childhood, but before he could get a good look at them he felt the professor stir and decided that now might be a good time to break the bond he'd created between them.  
  
Gently pulling himself away he whispered a soft, "thank you" to the sleeping Severus.  
  
Feeling the discombopulation that came with the breaking of the bond Flavic stood up unsteadily and faced the Headmaster.  
  
Dumbledore noticed that Flavic looked pale and much of his pep was gone. Gathering his things and sticking his wand in his pocket his said in a voice, croaky from little use, "I think we'd better go through a few sessions together, there's a lot he needs to cover."  
  
Nodding, Dumbledore replied, "Severus has always been a complex person."  
  
With a weak smile Flavic replied, "that, sir, is possibly the biggest understatement I have ever heard." 


	6. Chapter 6: Remembrances and Revelations

Author's Note and Disclaimer: Don't own anyone but Flavic. I am having a ball with this vampire thing so I decided to include a ton of background about it! Hee hee, I hope y'all don't mind. I'll get the next chapter out as soon as possible but I really get inspired by hearing from my readers so please review! I will sing praises of each reviewer in the next chapter if you do. Or at least I'll write praises, I'm not musically inclined. : )  
  
(By the way, I would have gotten this out sooner had it not been for the log in site which would not come up. I had been so happy and cool about to update my story and then, ay caramba! IT WOULDN'T SHOW UP! You have no idea how pissed off I was.)  
  
Anyway, since you're probably bored to tears by my computer issues here's the story…  
  
Chapter 6: Remembrances and Revelations  
  
Severus was still sleeping when the Healer left.  
  
Dumbledore moved over from his armchair and sat silently on the couch next to the Potion's Master, who yawned and turned over on his side.  
  
In that cat-like yawn, long sharp fangs were bared against clean white teeth. It appeared that the Concealing Concoction Snape used to cover up his vampire looks had worn off.  
  
In fact, the little color that graced Snape's features was drained from his face, revealing an ivory complexion that was unnatural looking. The final trances yellowish coloring disappeared, revealing the man in his natural, ethereal beauty.  
  
Snape was beautiful in the way that all predators are beautiful, handsome and deadly. His fangs, protruding slightly over his lower lip gave a frightening kind of sensuality and if it weren't for the greasy hair, a byproduct of the Concealing Concoction, he would be almost handsome.  
  
But Albus wasn't interested in Snape in that manner, the two had more of a father, son relationship. That relationship had started even before Snape had come to him, seeking refuge from the Death Eaters. For he would not have come in the first place, since Vampires were proud creatures, if Dumbledore had not befriended him the first place as a child.  
  
Albus could clearly remember the special request sent by Drusilla Snape, for her children to be let in. She was, or had been, the mother of seven at the time. Since then, Severus' older brother Olin and his younger sisters Mitzi and Devika had died, Olin and Devika in Azkaban due to the Kiss of the Dementor and Mitzi, murdered at the hand of McNair, as payment for the surrender of her siblings.  
  
But years before those deaths Drusilla had begged for her older children to be let in and had pleaded with him once more when it came Severus' and his twin brother Senette's time to go. The school governors had not been happy about it but had finally given in after much protest and Hogwarts had housed it's first Vampire.  
  
The Vampire's hadn't been too keen on the idea either, they thought is was disgracing to have one of their own being taught witchcraft and sent loads of petitions to the Minister about it until he threatened to cut connections with the Vampire's Confederation, their only form of political communication.  
  
Gently reaching a hand over to pat Snape's shoulder Dumbledore sighed, that had been just like the Vampire's Confederation to do something like that. They never really cared about anything unless it concerned Vampires, Vampire Slayers, or Hunting Rights. Since Vampire's basically had no rules except for blood claim on humans they drew blood from, the Guild had very few priorities.  
  
In fact, their main priority was food, which had led many of them to be in cahoots with Lord Voldemort as his personal assassins. They had been perfect for that role with their finely honed senses and special powers and had been promised a large supply of humans in return. That was what had led Severus and his friends to the Dark Lord at least.  
  
But that was in the past, not far enough for Binns to teach it, but it was still in the past. He needed to concentrate on the future and the problems that lay at hand, like that Healer. More sessions he'd said? Dumbledore would have to talk to Severus about that in the morning. Dumbledore grimaced, this would probably cause a huge argument about Seveus, "being perfectly capable of handling his own personal problems" as Snape put it.  
  
He sighed, with pleasant addition to breakfast conversation the morning promised to be VERY pleasant, the old man thought sarcastically to himself. "Sarcasm eh?" he murmured to the slumbering man, "you're rubbing off on me Severus."  
  
Giving Snape's shoulder a final squeeze he moved away from the couch and began the long walk up from the dungeons to his private quarters.  
  
*  
  
Flavic Cowan collapsed at his desk at the Cowan Healer's Guild. What had he gotten himself into? It had started out as a regular call for a healing trance and some bone binding and had ended up with an eighty percent chance of him giving psychiatric help to a bad tempered vampire, ex –Death Eater.  
  
Lowering his head in his hands he sighed audibly. He had always been a low grade Healer, doing simple physical analysis but never in his life had Flavic ever worked on such a puzzling, dangerous subject.  
  
Still, as much as he was reluctant to do this he really owed it to Snape as a patient. He had sworn when he'd gotten his license to heal that he would not pick and choose who he would work with because everyone deserved to get good medical attention no matter how…SPECIAL they were. And Severus Snape was about as "special" as they came.  
  
Flavic thought over his most confusing case until his head hurt and finally Apparated home where he thew himself into bed, head spinning. One thing was for sure, whatever happened, working with Snape was sure going to make life interesting in every sense of the word. 


	7. Chapter 7: Early Morning Arguments

Author's Note and Disclaimer: Don't own any of them except for Flavic. Okay, I promised reviewer praises so here we go. I would like to thank my faithful reviewers:  
  
Emma, Lady of Arundel, The smiley bandit, Zurizip, Anonymous, Blackrose87, Purple water, Íameviltara, Stormy, Erin, CreamyCoconut43, Nat, Swandive,,, Nyarth Kyukon, Only Me, Lizard of Fire, and Elenil.  
  
Y'all are the coolest! Thanks! : )  
  
Anyway, without further ado…  
  
Chapter 7: Early Morning Arguments  
  
Severus Snape was not a morning person in any sense of the word.  
  
He stifled a yawn and nearly rolled off of the couch. Climbing to his feet he kicked off his black shoes roughly and glanced at his bedside clock.  
  
It was eight-thirty.  
  
Giving the clock a dirty look he literally threw himself into his still- made bed, yanked back the covers and crawled under them.  
  
He considered eight-thirty to be an ungodly hour.  
  
Of course he was a man who was naturally nocturnal and woke up at six in the evening during the holidays.  
  
He slept blissfully till about nine-forty-five until he was rudely awakened by a horrific banging on the door.  
  
"The imbecile that wakes me up this early in the goddamn morning is as good as dead," he hissed under his breath, giving the closed door a deadly stare.  
  
Not hearing his threat Albus Dumbledore continued banging and called out, "Severus, I really would like to talk to you sometime before I die."  
  
"You seemed to be in perfect health last night so five more hours won't hurt," Snape barked, and buried his face in a pillow.  
  
He could almost sense Albus' sigh from behind the door. After a moment of silence the old man said, "Severus, I know you don't normally eat breakfast on the summer holidays but I do and that's the only time I have to talk to you."  
  
Grumbling about people getting up at insane times of day Snape crawled out of bed and slouched toward the door and opened it, glaring a truly awful glare at the man outside.  
  
"This had better be good," growled the vampire.  
  
Tugging on his beard tiredly Albus decided to take the blunt approach. "The Healer, Cowan, suggested that you and he keep up with some sessions so that- "  
  
Albus didn't even get to finish his sentence when he was abruptly cut off by Snape saying, "no, absolutely not."  
  
Dumbledore gave the lanky man lounging in the doorway an exasperated look and asked, "and why in the name of God not?"  
  
Assuming a lofty expression Snape declared, "I have no issues that need dealing with."  
  
Raising one silver eyebrow Dumbledore pulled a piece of parchment out of his pocket and replied, "Flavic seems to think you do. As a matter of fact he wrote to me about your nonexistent problems this morning."  
  
He handed Snape the letter, which read…  
  
Headmaster-  
  
I am writing you regarding Prof. Severus Snape. I believe that while he is in fine physical condition he may have some problems with mental stability. I think that there may be some unresolved issues which we can touch on to make his life easier. Please owl me back as soon as possible.  
  
Dr. Flavic Cowan  
  
" 'Some problems with mental stability,'" Snape repeated tonelessly. "So without all of the flourishes he thinks I'm insane."  
  
"He doesn't think your insane, he just thinks that you-"  
  
"Oh yes of course, the 'unresolved issues,'' Snape sneered, shoving the letter back at the Headmaster. "The only unresolved issue I have is how Neville Longbottom made it to his fifth year."  
  
Ignoring the slur on the student Dumbledore pressed on, "he is a medical expert Severus. He used to work at St. Mungo's."  
  
"That's just lovely for him,'' Snape replied, attempting to shut the door, but the Headmaster grabbed the knob and held on.  
  
"Severus PLEASE," the older man asked.  
  
Sighing and leaning back the Head of Slytherin thought in silence for a few moments and then said in a resigned tone of voice, "I'll go to one session with the dolt and if I don't think he's doing me any good I stop."  
  
Feeling that this was the best compromise he was going to get out of Snape Dumbledore agreed and the bedroom door was promptly slammed in his face as the man went back to bed.  
  
And Snape hadn't even joined him for the breakfast Albus had tried to get him to come to, Dumbledore thought.  
  
It was just as well, Snape wasn't the best company in the world when he was being forced into things. 


End file.
